Length of a Human Intestine

"The small intestine in adults is a long and narrow tube about 7 meters (23 feet) long. The large intestine is so called because it is wide in diameter. However, it is shorter than the small intestine — only about 1.5 meters (5 feet) long."

"In humans the intestine is divided into two major sections: the small intestine, which is about 6 m (20 ft) long,...; and the large intestine, which has a larger diameter and is about 1.5 m (5 ft) long,..."

"The length of the small intestine, according to Gray, is about twenty feet (6.1 meters);..."

6.1 meters(small intestine)

When food enters your body, it goes through the digestive system so that
your body can absorb nutrients from the food. The digestive system begins
with the mouth and is followed by the pharynx, the esophagus, and the intestine,
which is divided into two major sections: the small intestine and the large
intestine.

The small intestine is a long and narrow tube about 6 to 7 meters (20 to
23 feet) long. Food completes its chemical decomposition in which a compound
is split into other compounds by reacting with water in the small intestine
with the help of the liver, pancreas, and intestinal glands who pour their
secretions into it. In the small intestine, there are an enormous number
of tiny projections called villi, which absorb the end products of digestion.
Villi and folds in the walls of the small intestine cover the lining and
greatly increases the surface for absorption, which contributes to the
length of the small intestine. The human small intestine has a surface
area about ten times greater than the skin surface.

The large intestine is wide in diameters but shorter than the small intestine.
It is only about 1.5 meters (5 feet) long. There is no decomposition of
food in the large intestine. Bacteria in the large intestine break down
any quantity of proteins that have not been completely digested. The large
intestine is mostly used to store feces or waste, which consists of 10
to 50 percent of bacteria, undigested cellulose of plant cell walls, minerals,
and water. This is then eliminated through the anus.

Therefore, the length of the entire human intestine can range from 7.5 to 8.5 meters (25 to 28 feet).

Stephanie Kim -- 2007

Bibliographic Entry

Result(w/surrounding text)

StandardizedResult

Curtis, Helen. Barnes, N. Fifth Edition Biology. Worth, 1999: 544.

"Consider the human lung, constantly expanding and contracting in the chest cavity, or the 6 or 7 meters of coiled human intestine; neither of these could have evolved before the coelom."

"The large intestine extends from the ileum to the anus. It is about 1.5 meters long, being one-fifth of the whole extent of the intestinal canal."

1.5 m(large intestine)

"Intestine." Encyclopedia Americana. Danbury, CT: Grolier, 1999: 323.

"The small intestine is about 23 feet (7 meters) long and consists of three subdivisions."

7.0 m(small intestine)

The human intestine is a necessary part of the digestive system.
The human digestive system consists of the mouth, the throat (pharynx),
the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, and the large
intestine. Specifically, the human intestine consists of two parts,
the small intestine and the large intestine.

The small intestine is a long, narrow, coiled tube extending
from the stomach to the large intestine. This is the place where
most digestion and absorption of food takes place. The small intestine
of a human can be as long as six to eight meters long, depending
on age and size of being. So much length can be compacted into
so little space because of the nature of the small intestine;
it is coiled and takes up less space, while maintaining it's enormous
surface area.

The large intestine is the posterior or end of the human intestine that consists
of four regions the, the cecum, the colon, the rectum and the anal canal. The
large intestine is wider but shorter than the small intestine. It measures approximately
1.5 meters in length and its primary function is to absorb water and electrolytes
that have already passed unabsorbed through the small intestine.

In mathematics, as well as physics, the value of the whole
is equal to the sum of its parts. Therefore the average length
of the human intestine is equal to the length of the small intestine
added to the length of the large intestine. As a result the average
length of the human intestine can be anywhere from 6 to 8.5 meters
in length depending on size and age of the person it occupies.